Analysts said the quarter makes up 33% of total smartphones sales in a year, making it the most critical time for handset makers.NEW DELHI: Top smartphone makers Apple, Samsung Electronics, Micromax Informatics, Lenovo, Xiaomi and OnePlus have ramped up stocks anticipating heavy demand during the festive season, starting with Diwali next week, a period that accounts for as much as a third of annual sales in India. Smartphone imports and local production combined rose 12% sequentially in the July-September quarter to 28.3 million in the world’s thirdlargest market, according to Counterpoint Technology Market Research. Shipments for the brands, excluding Samsung, climbed more than 6% in October alone, Cybex Exim said.

While this stock build-up is typical for this time of the year, experts said it’s of greater significance now for smartphone makers seeking to strengthen their presence in a rapidly expanding and intensely competitive market, among the few still growing at this pace. Chinese startup OnePlus has even diverted global stocks to India. “We are experiencing a very strong growth in demand for all our products during the festivals and our factory is aligned to meet this growing demand,” a spokesperson for South Korea’s Samsung said, declining to share numbers. Sources said the company has increased shifts at its production facility in Noida to meet the expected surge in demand. Samsung even launched two affordable smartphones this week.

Imports by Ap 5.5 million smartphones in the August to October period, said Chief Marketing Officer Shubhajit Sen, who added that the company’s numbers in October were much better than August. Company officials who did not want to be identified added that Micromax shipped 1.9 million smartphones each in September and October, up from 1.7 million in August and higher than estimates by Cybex.

“In India, it’s almost a mad rush. It’s difficult for someone not from India to fathom how quickly such large quantities can sell — that’s Diwali,” said Vikas Agarwal, head of India operations for OnePlus. The company increased imports 10-fold in October from August and launched a new model, One Plus X, in India, a global first. “We have ensured that India gets more stock and the new phone comes to India before it’s launched in the US.”

Imports by China’s Xiaomi surged 21% over September, while Gionee’s general manager for India, Timir Baran Acharyya, said the company had imported 210,000 devices just over the past 10-12 days, compared with 240,000 in all of September. No. 4 Lenovo-Motorola brought in 1.48 million units in October, increasing consistently month on month.

The quarter starting October marks the period of peak sales in the Indian smartphone market, owing largely to Diwali. Analysts said the quarter makes up 33% of total smartphones sales in a year, making it the most critical time for handset makers. Tina Lu, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Technology Market Research, said that smartphones launched during the festive season generally have a 20% longer shelf life and better recall due to the promotions and incentives associated with the product.

While imports and local production of No. 3 Intex and No. 5 Lava reduced in October from September’s levels, according to Cybex, the companies said they had started to stock up from August. “Due to the Chinese Autumn festival that takes place in October first week, we planned out supplies a few weeks in advance,” said Navin Chawla, senior vice president and head of product at Lava International.

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